Hornets one of only eight not to have made a permanent signing
Watford are one of only eight Championship clubs not to have permanently signed a new player during the January transfer window.
The others are Bristol City, Coventry City, Leeds United, QPR, Sheffield Wednesday, Stoke City and Sunderland.
However, while they have yet to buy a new player, the Black Cats have made one of the most eye-catching loan captures of the window by bringing in €18m-rated midfielder Enzo Le Fee from Roma.
Bristol City, Coventry, Leeds and Wednesday have not yet added anybody at all, permanently or on loan, to their squad since January 1.
Former Hornets head coach Chris Wilder was both active and spent plenty in the summer, and he has already splashed out £10m for Leicester City striker Tom Cannons as well as adding Ben Brereton-Diaz to his attacking options, on loan from Southampton.
Another ex-Watford FC employee who has spent money is Cardiff City manager Omer Riza, with the Bluebirds paying Swedish side Sirius €4m for 23-year-old striker Yousef Salech.
The Dane, who moved from Brondby to Sirius a year ago, scored in his second game for Cardiff in the 2-2 draw away at Millwall.
Riza has also signed young Ajax midfielder Sivert Mannsverk on loan.
Luton paid £5m for Middlesbrough’s Isaiah Jones but he started on the bench in Saturday’s 1-0 home loss to Millwall.
Middlesbrough have snapped up one of the Championship’s hottest properties by paying Plymouth £6m for Morgan Whittaker, and they also spent a further £600,000 to take defender George Edmundson from Ipswich.
Fees of £7m and £1m took Slavia Prague winger Matej Jurasek and Sheffield United midfielder Anis Slimane to Norwich, who have also signed Aston Villa winger Lewis Dobbin on loan.
Oxford paid £1.7m to sign Ole Romeny from Utrecht, and the Us have been busy in the loan market with Tom Bradshaw (Millwall), Michael Helik (Huddersfield) and Alex Matos (Chelsea) all moving to The Kassam Stadium.
Preston paid Plymouth £1.5m for defender Lewis Gibson, and Argyle invested that sum in capturing Elfsborg’s Michael Baidoo.
Striker Ali Al-Hamadi, who was under consideration by Watford in the summer, has moved to Stoke City on loan until the end of the season, while West Brom paid Standard Liege £1m for young midfielder Isaac Price.
Two players who joined Burnley on free transfers – but who are priceless when it comes to winding up opponents – are striker Ashley Barnes and midfielder Jonjo Shelvey.
Scott Parker has also paid €3m for Silkeborg defender Oliver Sonne.
